Saturday 16th August - Coventry City Away - Predictions

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Some kind of score draw, don't see a clean sheet for either side
 

I think we'll raise the spirits with a solid performance and a 2-0.

I expect a back four of Alcock, Butler, Collins, Harris which I think Coventry will find difficult to get past. We'll hurt them on the counter.
 
Kenilworth said:
I watched the Cov vs Cardiff game on Sky on Weds night. Cardiff scored quite early on with a soft goal where two defenders went to ground on the edge of the penalty area to try to tackle the Cardiff lad but ended up in blocking the ball between them, which fell nicely for the striker to finish. This knocked Cov back for the rest of the first half - they were visibly crest fallen for at least 10-15 mins and they looked pretty dismal - headless and rudderless, chasing shadows for the rest of the 45 (sound familiar?).

The second half began with an error from an 18 year old left back where he was caught on his heels and didn't track Maynard for a ball coming into the area from wide left. The move started with a big launch from the keeper out to the left winger who then took on the full back and crossed. The young lad, Haynes (who, to be fair looks another one from the Coventry academy to become a regular) then tried to cut the cross out but only managed to deflect it into the back of the net. The poor lad was pretty distraught about it but kept his head up and started to work to make amends - With the 2 goal cushion, that's when Cardiff relaxed more and sat back and allowed Cov to come on to them.

Coventry pressed more and got the Cardiff back line stretched on a number of occasions, Miller going close with a really well timed run and close control but then fluffed his shot as the keeper came out quickly to challenge him - Miller looked sharp and was making intelligent runs to create opportunities for team mates to find him (something we lack terribly in our forward play). His goal came from a good ball in from the left back, Haynes, after he got forward down the left wing - a good cross curled around the back of the Cardiff defence was side foot volleyed into the net form six yards. Haynes had looked up and seen Miller dart for the edge of the six yard box and curled in a perfect cross for him to finish. Coventry then pushed for the leveller but struggled to get a clear chance after that.

The point is that Coventry have lost a lot of players since we last played them - they look a bit raw and a little fragile if you can get the better of them - they also look as though they can move the ball around and stretch teams if they are allowed to dominate the midfield. With Miller up top (he came on as a second half sub) they have a player that moves well, understands the game, is intelligent and can finish.

Still the same concerns for me - we are too light on goals in this team and do not play intelligently up top despite all the decent approach play we can muster - when the lads look up from wide positions, there is fuck all to hit inside the box or players making runs to guide where the ball should come into - so they swing in a ball that is there or thereabouts and we fail to connect. Then there is the soft back 4 that are prone to a glaring error or two with lack of positional play and lack of concentration as they let forwards get a yard on them. If Miller gets the starting nod and plays like he did on Wednesday night then he will be on for a brace of goals, I'm pretty certain of that.

We are not travelling well at all - pre season demonstrates that and we are no where near solid enough at the back at the moment so my prediction is a 2-0 win for Cov
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This Miller lad you're on about sounds a fair prospect,and just what we need,do you think we should put a bid in before the window shuts ?
:D
 
JOEYDEE said:
This Miller lad you're on about sounds a fair prospect,and just what we need,do you think we should put a bid in before the window shuts ?
:D
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Wait until January. He'll be world class by then.
 
Kenilworth, we played one gsme with Higdon and McNulty and we scored in minutes. I don't see we are struggling to score. I do see us struggling to keep a clean sheet though.
I expect a 2-1 win. Link up play getting better, back needing a week or two more to gel.
 
I like the team Foxy, but it highlights the Reed, Baxter, Doyle, Davies, JCR problem. ..a good problem, but a problem nonetheless.
Plus the back four, or three problem. Hence we need a few games.

No panick though. There will be top premier league teams dealing with the same problem as us and losing their first game.

Looking at the options, you have got to say we are as strong as last year. Defensively weaker, at the moment, offensively, far stronger. We are a different team, but certainly not weaker.
 
Safe journey to all Blades going there , think we might snake a win , although a draw would be ok ,
Will keeping in touch with the twitter on this forum .
UTB?
 
How depressing is it that we already write off the possibility of a clean sheet?? Especially after our recent defensive record?! Rightly so though I think, we ain't keeping out miller for 90min.
Hope Jose gets a start, I'd like him just behind big hig with murph and JCR cutting in from the wings.
Flynn doesn't look fit to me.
2-1 the mighty blades
 

Kenilworth said:
He was always a decent player, Pinchers - when fit. Good movement and a good finisher, if lacking blistering pace - but his positional sense has always been very good. We have nothing like him in the squad now - Nothing that Baxter, De Girolamo, or Scougal can apply to be similar in nature - they are midfielders / false nine's and not natural goal scorers.

NC was correct to release him as his contract ran out as he was too large a gamble for us to take in such an important season.
However, he is the sort/type of player we still need - one to work off the central striker that we now appear to have in Higdon.
Still a huge gap in the armoury for me. Not seen anything that will fill it.

Whilst we continue to struggle to get more than 1 goal in a game and remain soft at the back we will continue to bleed points and leech confidence. Not seen any evidence to the contrary in pre season and league games so far to alter this opinion.
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McNulty's did well to score on Wednesday though. Love Baxter's, little wait, touch and pass up to Higdon's whose touch and pass to McNulty is also good.

 
Bergen Blade said:
McNulty's did well to score on Wednesday though. Love Baxter's, little wait, touch and pass up to Higdon's whose touch and pass to McNulty is also good.

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Agree Bergs.
Good move and good finish but NC admitted that prior to that McNuts had not performed that well.

Happy enough if McNuts can stick a few in the back of the net out of nothing as that can be game changing. However, if the rest of the team is not contributing to the goal tally that situation often results in a decent consolation goal rather than an unexpected but very welcome winner in a tight game.

Now if McNuts can combine that knack of scoring a goal out of nothing with a more involved and influential performance and combine this with a telepathic partnership with Higdon then we are potentially onto a series of magic moments and the points will start totting up nicely.

Be interesting to see if NC goes with a 4-4-2 away at Cov today. I suspect it will be with just Higdon up top on his own to start with. Will not want to be too expansive early doors.
 
Kenilworth said:
Agree Bergs.
Good move and good finish but NC admitted that prior to that McNuts had not performed that well.

Happy enough if McNuts can stick a few in the back of the net out of nothing as that can be game changing. However, if the rest of the team is not contributing to the goal tally that situation often results in a decent consolation goal rather than an unexpected but very welcome winner in a tight game.

Now if McNuts can combine that knack of scoring a goal out of nothing with a more involved and influential performance and combine this with a telepathic partnership with Higdon then we are potentially onto a series of magic moments and the points will start totting up nicely.

Be interesting to see if NC goes with a 4-4-2 away at Cov today. I suspect it will be with just Higdon up top on his own to start with. Will not want to be too expansive early doors.
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Yes, agree with that. We had good control defensively in most away games last season and Clough will look to keep that up. I think he will play something like:

Howard
Alcock Collins McGahey Harris
Davies Basham Doyle Scougall(or Reed) Murphy
Higdon
​
 
Bergen Blade said:
Yes, agree with that. We had good control defensively in most away games last season and Clough will look to keep that up. I think he will play something like:

Howard
Alcock Collins McGahey Harris
Davies Basham Doyle Scougall(or Reed) Murphy
Higdon
​
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Well from the 90 seconds of Blades Player I thought Campbell Ryce looked the most dangerous.
 
BladeFisher said:
Well we've only played one or have I missed something? :)
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Yes! The sentence that included "pre season AND league games", i.e. more than one game. It's grammatically correct BF.
If pre season games are not allowed to be judged why on earth did NC state that his team selection for the game vs Bristol was based on who performed in ore season?

Strewth. If you're going to pick fault at least read and digest my post please ;)
 
BladeFisher said:
Well from the 90 seconds of Blades Player I thought Campbell Ryce looked the most dangerous.
Click to expand...

I think JCR will start a lot of league games at BDTBL this season, he is more direct than Flynn and we should really be looking to play on the front foot this season. Away from home, the likes of Flynn and Davies offer more stability and defensive cover down the sides.
 
I'd like to see something like this

howard
Harris. Mcgahey. Collins. Alcock
murphy . Reed/scougal. Doyle. Jcr
baxter
higdon
 
1-1 I'll go with, Higdon scoring for us (if he plays), a point away against Coventry would be a good result, anything more would be wonderful!
 
Kenilworth said:
who performed in ORE season?

Strewth. If you're going to pick fault at least read and digest my post please ;)
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I tried to read and digest Kenilworth:p Ore:eek: Put an o on the end and we could digest that,hmmmmmm:D
 
Surprised me with the team. Really expected him to revert to experience at the back.
 
Kenilworth said:
Yes! The sentence that included "pre season AND league games", i.e. more than one game. It's grammatically correct BF.
If pre season games are not allowed to be judged why on earth did NC state that his team selection for the game vs Bristol was based on who performed in ore season?

Strewth. If you're going to pick fault at least read and digest my post please ;)
Click to expand...

You could have said games so far, better English campaign etc. why use more words than necessary..:eek:
 

All he have done is bought shite, no way we are going up, we have nothing about us.
 
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